Wednesday, November 14, 2012
November 14
Today's Reading
Ezekiel. For centuries Egypt had been a world power. Their pride was great and they felt protected in their part of the world. God promised to use the Babylonians to crush them. One pagan army crushing another. A concern I have, as our nation strays from our spiritual heritage, is that God may similarly judge us. In our past we were often "right" because we generally followed God's ways. When we don't submit ourselves to Him, we cease being right.
Hebrews. We need to learn from those great heroes of the faith who are mentioned in Chapter 11. They knew that difficulties meant that God is near, not far away. When you and I seek God, we are not to be surprised when things go wrong. If the discipline is because we have failed, we must confess and forsake it, then go on with God. If the discipline is just part of life, God will use it to help mold us into Christ's image. How do you look at difficulties and discipline?
Psalms today is once again a perfect companion to other passages we have read. Notice how much it coincides with Hebrews. Praise God!
Proverbs. Sparks fly with iron. It's the same with the right kind of friends. It's the oil of the Holy Spirit that keeps the sharpening healthy and not devastating.
What insights do you have from today?
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
November 13
Today's Reading
Ezekiel 28:12-19 is a sister passage to Isaiah 14:12-21. Both passages, in the language and poetry of prophecy, open windows that allow us to see into the spirit world. We see the rise and fall of Lucifer, a powerful and beautiful angel who rebelled against God and became Satan. Tyre and Sidon, both in the nation of Lebanon today, were mighty nation-states on the sea. Both were at times allies of Israel but, during the days of Ezekiel, they likely were enjoying the fall of Israel and Judah from power and prominence. The prophet pointed out that God's judgment was falling on them, too.
Hebrews. It is easy to understand what people did and why they did it with the perspective of history. It changes our understanding when we remember that they didn't know how their stories would end. Like us, they were making choices without knowing fully what would happen. That's where faith comes in!
Psalms. "9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.
He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!" Aren't you glad that He didn't leave us with "postage due"? He paid the full price to deliver us to Himself by sending His own Son to die on the cross.
Proverbs. Perhaps these verses help understand why we men are told to "love your wife as Christ loved the church." The moment we decide to attempt changing our wives, we are just moving deeper into conflict.
What do you see today?
Ezekiel 28:12-19 is a sister passage to Isaiah 14:12-21. Both passages, in the language and poetry of prophecy, open windows that allow us to see into the spirit world. We see the rise and fall of Lucifer, a powerful and beautiful angel who rebelled against God and became Satan. Tyre and Sidon, both in the nation of Lebanon today, were mighty nation-states on the sea. Both were at times allies of Israel but, during the days of Ezekiel, they likely were enjoying the fall of Israel and Judah from power and prominence. The prophet pointed out that God's judgment was falling on them, too.
Hebrews. It is easy to understand what people did and why they did it with the perspective of history. It changes our understanding when we remember that they didn't know how their stories would end. Like us, they were making choices without knowing fully what would happen. That's where faith comes in!
Psalms. "9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.
He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!" Aren't you glad that He didn't leave us with "postage due"? He paid the full price to deliver us to Himself by sending His own Son to die on the cross.
Proverbs. Perhaps these verses help understand why we men are told to "love your wife as Christ loved the church." The moment we decide to attempt changing our wives, we are just moving deeper into conflict.
What do you see today?
Monday, November 12, 2012
November 12
Today's Reading
Ezekiel. My heart skips a beat each time I read today's description of the death of Ezekiel's wife. Someone said, "When you can't understand God's hand, trust His heart." That's the best way I know to face such pain.
Jeremiah prophesied against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia the same way as Ezekiel.
Hebrews 11 begins with the Bible's most concise definition of faith. Many years ago some people donated a small piece of property to our church. The property, located in a rural area in another part of Arizona, was something I never actually saw. However, I knew the church owned it because we had the deed. Faith is the deed to things which we haven't seen yet. Chapter 11 is often called "the roll-call of faith." Take a moment and reflect on the faith of each person on the list.
Psalm 110 is, I believe, a poetic prophecy of God's final judgment upon the earth.
Proverbs. Jeremy, the teenager in the comic "Zits" would totally agree with this verse. How about you?
What have you noticed today?
Ezekiel. My heart skips a beat each time I read today's description of the death of Ezekiel's wife. Someone said, "When you can't understand God's hand, trust His heart." That's the best way I know to face such pain.
Jeremiah prophesied against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia the same way as Ezekiel.
Hebrews 11 begins with the Bible's most concise definition of faith. Many years ago some people donated a small piece of property to our church. The property, located in a rural area in another part of Arizona, was something I never actually saw. However, I knew the church owned it because we had the deed. Faith is the deed to things which we haven't seen yet. Chapter 11 is often called "the roll-call of faith." Take a moment and reflect on the faith of each person on the list.
Psalm 110 is, I believe, a poetic prophecy of God's final judgment upon the earth.
Proverbs. Jeremy, the teenager in the comic "Zits" would totally agree with this verse. How about you?
What have you noticed today?
Sunday, November 11, 2012
November 11
Today's Reading
Ezekiel. I googled these mysterious names used for Samaria and Jerusalem in today's reading. They are from the root Hebrew word for "tent." It's possible that the names refer to the practice of erecting tents on hilltops where the people sacrificed to pagan gods, including child sacrifice and illicit sex. Either way, the graphic description of their sins is rather disturbing, don't you think? No wonder God's judgment came upon them so harshly! Today we have socially accepted terms for people who are living in sin. Even in the church they are embraced with no expectation of repentance. Can we escape God's judgment?
Hebrews. This is like a beautiful "oil on canvas" word picture of the necessity and the beauty of the church coming together for worship. Following Christ includes trials from without and temptations from within. We must not neglect gathering with other believers for encouragement and instruction. Our worship is made possible because Christ's blood has cleansed our sins. Now we can boldly go into the presence of God with a clear conscience and a humble spirit.
Psalms. What do you do when you are wrongfully accused? How do you handle it when someone intentionally speaks lies about you to hurt you? Isn't it far better to humble yourself before the Lord and let Him handle it?
Proverbs. A friend of mine once told me his policy for lending money to fellow Christians. "I don't lend money I can't afford to give away. When I do lend it, I don't fully expect to receive it back. If it is a formal loan, I agree with the borrower on the interest rate and, if they repay on time, I give them the interest money back." His wise advice has always stuck with me.
What is speaking to you today?
Ezekiel. I googled these mysterious names used for Samaria and Jerusalem in today's reading. They are from the root Hebrew word for "tent." It's possible that the names refer to the practice of erecting tents on hilltops where the people sacrificed to pagan gods, including child sacrifice and illicit sex. Either way, the graphic description of their sins is rather disturbing, don't you think? No wonder God's judgment came upon them so harshly! Today we have socially accepted terms for people who are living in sin. Even in the church they are embraced with no expectation of repentance. Can we escape God's judgment?
Hebrews. This is like a beautiful "oil on canvas" word picture of the necessity and the beauty of the church coming together for worship. Following Christ includes trials from without and temptations from within. We must not neglect gathering with other believers for encouragement and instruction. Our worship is made possible because Christ's blood has cleansed our sins. Now we can boldly go into the presence of God with a clear conscience and a humble spirit.
Psalms. What do you do when you are wrongfully accused? How do you handle it when someone intentionally speaks lies about you to hurt you? Isn't it far better to humble yourself before the Lord and let Him handle it?
Proverbs. A friend of mine once told me his policy for lending money to fellow Christians. "I don't lend money I can't afford to give away. When I do lend it, I don't fully expect to receive it back. If it is a formal loan, I agree with the borrower on the interest rate and, if they repay on time, I give them the interest money back." His wise advice has always stuck with me.
What is speaking to you today?
Saturday, November 10, 2012
November 10
Ezekiel. You may have heard me speak of my deep love and respect for my dad. I can remember my sadness at his look of disappointment in me. I remember my joy when I knew he was proud of me. But I rarely saw him deeply angry at me -- and the thought of him being so brings shudders to my mind. In that light, I read, "3 Tell her, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am your enemy, O Israel...'" Can you imagine the awesome God looking in your eyes and saying that to you? We live in a time and place when many can't imagine God as anything but a big teddy bear who just smiles on everybody and everything going on. If you believe that, read today's passage very carefully.
Hebrews. 16 “This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then he says,
“I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds.” Heart changed; sins forgotten. It doesn't get any better than that -- seriously!
Psalms. David said that his confidence lay in the Lord. I'm not sure I can always say that, even though I'm by far the most peaceful when it's true.
Proverbs. Think long-term -- it's really that simple. Or that difficult.
What do you see today?
Friday, November 9, 2012
November 9
Today's Reading
Ezekiel. C.S. Lewis wrote of Aslan (who represented Christ in Chronicles of Narnia), "He is not a tame Lion." We do well to remember that God is not soft on sin. His mercy is great, but it is far different than God having a lax attitude about sin.
Hebrews. So Jesus our Messiah entered, not the copy of the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies) in the Temple, but into the presence of God in heaven. He brought, not the blood of animals, but His own blood and presented it as the forever sacrifice for our sins. What a picture!
Psalms. Sometimes the most "spiritual" thing we can do is to cry out from our place of trouble. God seems to be moved by the cries of His people. These verses give four powerful examples. When was the last time you cried out to God? I often wait until I have exhausted every other option. God has never failed to answer my cries with His presence and provision.
Proverbs. Parents who genuinely care about their children and what kind of people they grow up to be (I'm not sure all parents think much about that!) feel totally blessed when they see them respond to life situations with wisdom.
What do you notice today?
Thursday, November 8, 2012
November 8
Today's Reading
Ezekiel reminds us that we can't ride into heaven on our parents coattails. Praise God that our parents lack of faith can't send us to hell!
Hebrews. It can become easy for Christians to forget the holiness of God. Imagine that, for hundreds of years, the ordinary people could never enter the place that represented the presence of God. Only the High Priest could go and only once a year. We should avoid taking our access to God through Christ for granted.
Psalms. Truly, God's mercy endures forever and He is longsuffering when it comes to those who are His children. I have experienced this longsuffering on His part when I returned to the same sins over and over. How loving He is to keep forgiving, offering me the chance to fully repent.
Proverbs. Treating neighbors and co-workers with respect and kindness is like an investment when we fall on difficult times. Many years ago, my dad was responsible for handling the requests for help that came to the church they attended. It was often challenging and painful. One of the first questions he would ask was if there was someone somewhere who could help the person. Many times they could think of no one. I remember dad's joy when someone who had broken down on the highway could identify family, friends and a church who would vouch for them.
I would love to hear your observations today!
Ezekiel reminds us that we can't ride into heaven on our parents coattails. Praise God that our parents lack of faith can't send us to hell!
Hebrews. It can become easy for Christians to forget the holiness of God. Imagine that, for hundreds of years, the ordinary people could never enter the place that represented the presence of God. Only the High Priest could go and only once a year. We should avoid taking our access to God through Christ for granted.
Psalms. Truly, God's mercy endures forever and He is longsuffering when it comes to those who are His children. I have experienced this longsuffering on His part when I returned to the same sins over and over. How loving He is to keep forgiving, offering me the chance to fully repent.
Proverbs. Treating neighbors and co-workers with respect and kindness is like an investment when we fall on difficult times. Many years ago, my dad was responsible for handling the requests for help that came to the church they attended. It was often challenging and painful. One of the first questions he would ask was if there was someone somewhere who could help the person. Many times they could think of no one. I remember dad's joy when someone who had broken down on the highway could identify family, friends and a church who would vouch for them.
I would love to hear your observations today!
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